Research Institutes

IITRI is IIT's not-for-profit contract research affiliate. With a focus on biomedical research, IITRI's staff of approximately 115 scientists and technicians conducts programs for both government and commercial sponsors. Specific areas of expertise include preclinical toxicology; carcinogenesis and cancer prevention; inhalation technology; molecular biology; analytical chemistry; and biodefense. David McCormick, IITRI Senior Vice-President and Director, can be reached at 312.567.4972.Back to top

IFSH is a world class research institute that produces knowledge-based outcomes in the areas of food safety, food defense, and nutrition for stakeholders in government, industry, and academia. IFSH builds on and expands the vital work of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), a unique research consortium of IIT, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the food industry. For more than 20 years, the center has provided a collaborative environment where scientists from industry, academia, and government pool their scientific expertise and institutional perspectives to ensure the production of safe, wholesome foods. IFSH has four operating centers that support the institute: the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), Center for Nutrition Research (CNR), Center for Processing Innovation (CPI), and Center for Specialty Programs (CSP).

Within the FDA staff, Richard McDonald is Director, Division of Food Processing Science and Technology. Within the IIT Staff, Robert Brackett, IFSH Director, can be reached at 708.563.1577 or rbrackett@iit.edu. Jason Wan, IFSH Associate Director, can be reached at 708.563.8282 or jwan1@iit.edu.Back to top

The Pritzker Institute is an umbrella organization that enhances the biomedical science and engineering research activities on the IIT campus. The Medical Imaging Research Center (MIRC), the Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Neuroengineering research (CINNR), the Engineering Center for Diabetes Research and Education (ECDRE), the Center for the Molecular Study of Condensed Soft Matter (UCOSM), and the Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT) are some of the Centers and activities that operate under the Institute. Each of the Centers has a Director and is described in more detail elsewhere on this page. The Pritzker Institute develops and coordinates relationships and programs with traditional science and engineering departments within IIT, as well as outside institutions, especially, Argonne National Laboratory, Rush Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of Chicago. Vincent Turitto, Director, can be reached at 312.567.6927.Back to top

WISER’s mission is to continue to improve the quality of life and positively impact society while preserving our natural resources and the environment for future generations. Fulfillment of this mission will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and, at the same time, provide sufficient and affordable sources of clean energy and water.

WISER cultivates close collaboration among numerous programs at IIT with a focus on development of energy-related interdisciplinary educational and research initiatives and proposals. Current WISER activities involve more than 50 faculty members from throughout IIT, spanning engineering, design, architecture, business, psychology, the sciences, and law. WISER plans to further enhance research and educational partnerships with the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, industry, national laboratories, and other universities. The goal of the institute is to play a leading role in identifying future research directions for shaping national and international energy policy and sustainability initiatives. Hamid Arastoopour, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3038 or arastoopour@iit.edu or contact Peg Murphy at 312.567.3038 or murphym@iit.edu.Back to top

Research Centers

CAPP provides a locus for interdisciplinary activities at IIT aimed at the continued development of research in elementary particle physics, at developing new particleaccelerator technologies, and at education and outreach to educational institutions and to the wider business, philanthropic and general public sectors. It serves as a base to coordinate the activities of a group of IIT faculty, graduate students, and staff from various departments currently involved in a number of research programs, and will promote substantial increases in such involvement through a close working relationship with other universities in the region and with Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Daniel Kaplan, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3389 or at kaplan@iit.edu.Back to top

CCSD provides an interdisciplinary collaborative environment for fundamental and applied research for understanding and mathematically describing complex systems; developing mathematical and computational techniques for simulating, analyzing, and modifying their behavior; and applying these methods to various complex systems of national interest. Current research areas include nonlinear and stochastic phenomena in complex systems, multiagent systems, complex networks and adaptive systems, natural and industrial ecologies, dynamics of multiphase systems, fluid turbulence, molecular level modeling of physical systems, brain electrophysiology and computational neuroscience, and transportation systems. Fouad Teymour, Director can be reached at 312.567.8947 or teymour@iit.edu.Back to top

CDRP is a multi-disciplinary center that includes scholars from engineering, scientific, social scientific, and legal fields who focus on various aspects of diabetes research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The Center unites IIT entities that undertake scientific research, make policy assessments and recommendations, and provide legal advice for individuals with diabetes-related conditions who are participating in research, seeking access to care, or have been discriminated against because they have or are likely to develop diabetes. It also undertakes research into understanding the disease’s mechanisms, designing new treatments, and discovering methods of monitoring and treating the complications of the disease. CDRP collaborates with community and professional groups to increase education, awareness, and prevention. Sarah Blenner, Director can be reached at 312.906.5393 or sblenner@kentlaw.iit.edu.Back to top

The Center conducts basic and applied research primarily in fuel cells and batteries, while preparing students for a career in advanced energy technology. Jai Pakash, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3639.Back to top

The Center is an interdisciplinary research and education center established in 1990 through a grant from the Amoco Foundation, is devoted to the advancement of polymer science and engineering. Research is conducted on synthesis, rheology, characterization and processing of polymers. Education programs include concentrations for B.S., MAS (non-thesis), M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. David Venerus, Director, can be reached at 312.567.5177 or venerus@iit.edu.Back to top

CINNR’s mission is to foster research in systems and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago and neural engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Work in the Center proceeds from basic science and clinical efforts and emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the nervous system. Nicholas Hatsopoulos, Co-Director, can be reached at 773.702.5594 or nicho@uchicago.edu. David Mogul, Co-Director, can be reached at 312.567.3873 or mogul@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center is a multi-disciplinary center dedicated to the research of soft matter, both biological and synthetic. The center has substantial expertise in cell membranes, collagen, ECM, peptide mimetics, entangled polymers, networks, and the cytoskeleton. Particular emphasis is paid to establishing molecular structure/property/function relationships. The center houses faculty from Biology, Engineering, and Physics, and is a member of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering. Research relies equally on experimental, computational, and theoretical components, including neutron diffraction, x-ray diffraction and scattering, atomic force microscopy, Forced Rayliegh Scattering, micro- and bulk rheology, molecular dynamics simulations, and stochastic and statistical mechanical modeling. Jay Schieber, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3046, or schieber@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center supports the work of the Clinical Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), which conducts human nutrition and clinical research to determine the health benefits of foods and food components in a variety of study areas, including nutrient properties and bioavailability, obesity and satiety, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk reduction, and infant and child nutrition. The unit also manages projects related to IFSH’s Health Promoting Foods research arm. Britt Burton-Freeman, Director can be reached at 708.563.8276 or bburton@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center provides expanded process control and process validation capabilities for applied research through IFSH's GMP processing area, kitchen and pilot plant, BSL-2 processing innovation laboratory, fresh produce processing line, and the newly commissioned BSL-3 laboratory and biocontainment pilot plant. The unit also administers education and training services, and other targeted commercial projects. Alvin Lee, Director, can be reached at 708.563.8277 or alee33@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center administers key specialized programs, including customized laboratory proficiency testing services for all stakeholders. This center manages development and oversight of government project contracts with US FDA, USDA, Department of Homeland Security, and other regulatory agencies associated with food protection and nutrition. Jason Wan, Acting Director, can be reached at 708.563.8287 or jwan1@iit.edu.Back to top

CSC is the nerve center for research and outreach activities of IIT Stuart School of Business, developing global partnerships to enhance innovation and creativity, and providing quality, high-level executive education customized to meet discipline-specific demands. Our mission is to develop Strategic Competitiveness into an approach to business that will enhance the ability of individuals, organizations, and governmental units to respond proactively and innovatively to global market challenges in today's and tomorrow's economy.

The CSC provides a cross-discipline approach to competitiveness and economic development, combining psychology (incisive decision making and leadership), design (creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship), and engineering (sustainability). Our research and program efforts are developed within a network of partnerships, bringing together the knowledge and experience of executives, lawmakers, academics, and experts in an array of fields. The CSC is tasked with the responsibility of making certain that IIT Stuart School of Business is always evolving and adapting to the present and future demands of global business. We do this, in part, through a major portfolio of research, public information, and public awareness of competitiveness issues developed in partnership with a variety of funders. The CSC offices can be reached at 312.906.6524 or csc@stuart.iit.edu.Back to top

CSEP was established in 1976 to promote research and teaching on practical ethical issues in the professions. Within IIT, CSEP pursues this mission by integrating ethics into IIT programs and courses and collaborating with faculty in teaching and research. The first ethics center to focus on the professions, CSEP continues to be one of the nation's leading ethics centers and is internationally recognized for its work on ethics in science, engineering, and related areas of business. CSEP is committed to multi-disciplinary and multiinstitutional research, to projects that combine empirical investigation with conceptual analysis, and projects that introduce and propagate innovations in teaching. Past projects have focused on such topics as intellectual property, decision-making involving engineers and managers, and ethics and societal implications of nanotechnology. There is a continuing emphasis on projects that integrate ethics education into technical courses, for example the development of methods of micro-insertion and Ethics Across the Curriculum. CSEP's initiatives to integrate ethics in the IPROs offer models for raising ethics awareness and providing experience of ethics problem solving for students in all IIT's disciplines and professional programs. Elisabeth Hildt, Director, can be reached at ehildt@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center promotes application of the tools and techniques of synchrotron radiation to science and engineering research, with a particular focus on developing and operating experimental beam line facilities to serve the needs of various collaborative access teams at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Carlo Segre, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3498 or segre@iit.edu.Back to top

CWZSM works towards providing long-term solutions to transportation work zone safety and mobility problems, by building a consortium of major work zone stakeholders including transportation agencies, contractors, trucking industry, and the insurance industry. By working together through the consortium, the stakeholders can combine their resources and knowledge, and work towards preventing the 50,000 work zone injuries and hundreds of fatalities that occur every year. The initiatives of the center focus on (1) developing work zone safety audit guidelines by addressing the concerns and interests of all stakeholders; (2) discovering/developing/transferring new technologies and measures for improving work zone safety and minimizing negative impacts on private industries and the national economy; and (3) providing work zone safety training and education to the transportation community and the public. Zongzhi Li, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3556 or lizz@iit.edu.Back to top

IIT has long maintained high quality education and research programs in electric power and energy systems. The mission of the Electric Power and Power Electronics Center (EPPEC) is to make significant educational, research, and practical contributions to the fields of electric power, power electronics, electric machines, motor drives, and vehicular power systems. The tasks of the Center include the sponsorship of technical studies, which will enhance the role of university faculty, manufacturers, vendors, and consumers in power engineering research and education. The Center works with centers and departments across IIT, other institutions, government agencies, and industry to sponsor research projects, short courses, conferences, and seminars. Mahesh Krishnamurthy, Acting Director, can be reached at 312.567.7232 or ukrishn1@iit.edu.Back to top

The Energy + Power Center was formed in 1989 through an endowment by the Max McGraw Foundation, of a chaired professorship in energy and power engineering and management. The holder of the McGraw chair serves as Director of the Center and is charged with establishing a comprehensive research and education program in sustainable global energy development. Included in the program are energy resource assessment; engineering, economic, and environmental impact studies of U.S. and global energy production, transmission, storage, conversion, and utilization systems; as well as a wide range of energy policy studies.Back to top

ECDRE's objective is to use engineering and science based techniques to develop treatment modalities for diabetes and its many complications. ECDRE is the first center in the U.S. to focus on diabetes treatment. IIT faculty members, in collaboration with investigators and clinicians at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, are working on a variety of diabetes-related research projects. ECDRE is a component of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, which is developing a biomedical research thrust on the campus of IIT. Ali Cinar, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3637 or cinar@iit.edu.Back to top

The Center consists of six faculty engaged in experimental, computational, and analytical studies of fluid flow and its control. The center has numerous research-quality experimental facilities including, high and low Mach number wind tunnels, jet facilities, water channels, anechoic room and an axial flow compressor. Extensive computational resources are available for numerical flow simulations. Areas of focus include active flow control for aerospace applications, aeroacoustics, contaminant dispersion predictions and vortex-surface interactions. David R. Williams, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3192.Back to top

The High Performance Computing Center (HPCC)

HPCC is based on the successful collaboration among Illinois Institute of Technology faculty and the Office of Technology Services. The HPCC serves a critical computing need among IIT researchers: the availability of high performance computing resources. In particular, the HPCC charter has three main goals: to provide expertise on the integration of new computing equipment into IIT's HPC pool; to attract external funding for HPC infrastructure; and to promote HPC at IIT. The HPCC oversees the university's central research computing resources: the 32 processor gigawulf Linux cluster. Alex Flueck, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3625 or flueck@iit.edu.Back to top

The keynote of the IITAC-Research Center is "Rethinking Metropolis," the architecture of the multiple, competing entities defining urban life in the new millennium. Urban migrations and the proliferation of information technologies have rendered obsolete the logistical premises and architectural values of the traditional city. We can no longer view architecture as a singular enterprise of making buildings and it is time for a radical critique of our approaches. The task of rethinking our habitats and landscapes in a fundamental way entails a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary approach. It will draw upon the cultural, social, economic, and biological sciences, but it will also demand a particular talent and sensitivity to be cultivated in the architect who is ethically charged with environmental interventions. Richard Neutra some years ago opened a book with the somber note that "Nature has too long been outraged by design of nose rings, corsets, and foul-aired subways." Today this observation has become ever more relevant because the problems associated with the metropolis have grown even more acute. We have choices to make as a profession. And if the 21st century is to succeed in improving living conditions for the world's populations, it will be because we have adopted the tools at our disposal and energetically stepped forth with a dynamic vision. The purpose of the IITAC-Research Center is to promote and promulgate invention - to proffer a new vision. Harry Francis Mallgrave, Director, can be reached at 312.567-3269 or mallgrave@iit.edu.Back to top

ICSSE coordinates education and research activities in sensor science and engineering. The center addresses significant national and international needs for research and development in sensor science. Current research activities include: biosensors, electrochemical sensors, nanosensors, physical sensors, computations for optimum sensor applications, pattern recognition and artificial intelligence in sensor systems, artificial chemical sensor arrays like electronic noses and tongues, prosthetic sensing like eyes, ears and noses, sensor modeling and design, the shared sensor technology user facility for extreme sensor evaluation, and sensors for chiral molecules. Sensor applications include medicine, environment, human health and safety, industrial and automotive, homeland security, and the NASA space station. Rong Wang, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3121 or wangr@iit.edu.Back to top

MIRC at the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering promotes, coordinates, and fosters research and educational activities at IIT in medical imaging and related fields. Educational programs include B.S. and Ph.D. programs in Biomedical Engineering and a professional masters degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Current projects include: mapping the human brain, new x-ray imgaging techniques, computer-aided diagnosis, and imaging the heart. Miles Wernick, director, can be reached at 312.567.8818 or wernick@iit.edu.Back to top

NCFST, IFSH's cornerstone principal operating center, continues to operate under its long-time cooperative agreement between IIT and FDA, focusing on design and performance of a variety of collaborative and cooperative research projects across several focus areas, including microbiology, chemical constituents, allergens, food processing, packaging, methods validation, and nutrition. Robert Brackett, IIT Vice President and IFSH Director, can be reached at 708.563.1577 or rbrackett@iit.edu.Back to top

The Mission of the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation is to pursue groundbreaking work in the generation, transmission, distribution, management and consumption of electricity. The Galvin Center brings together faculty, students, researchers, industry, government, innovators, and entrepreneurs to collaborate to improve the reliability, security and efficiency of the electric grid and overcome obstacles to the national adoption and implementation of the smart grid. Mohammad Shahidehpour, Director, can be reached ms@iit.edu.Back to top

Through TPTC, faculty and students undertake research to support the needs of the materials processing and manufacturing industries. The center performs high quality basic and applied research in thermal processing technology of interest to the primary metals and manufacturing industry. In addition, the center provides training and education to enhance the human resources available to industry. Multi-disciplinary research teams are used to provide innovative crosscutting technological solutions to industrial materials processing problems. Philip Nash, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3056.Back to top

Wireless Network and Communications Research Center (WiNCom)

Founded in 2006, WiNCom is an initiative of the Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments. Motivated by the continuing explosion in the use of the radio frequency spectrum, and the desire to increase RF spectrum utilization and efficiency, WiNCom fuses the creative talents of faculty and students from across IIT. WiNCom's signature achievement is the 2007 establishment and ongoing operation of the IIT Spectrum Observatory, which is creating a continuous record of RF spectrum utilization in Chicago. Research programs include RF spectrum measurements; RF measurement data storage and analysis techniques; cognitive radio; communication system modeling; RF coexistence; and RF interference modeling and mitigation. Application areas are licensed and unlicensed spectrum, public safety, smart grid, and spectrum sharing. The Center has generated numerous technology transfers and spinoffs, including a commercial RF spectrum observatory network. Center researchers have ongoing engagements with the FCC and other government entities including the U.S. Commerce Department Spectrum Management Advisory Committee. Cynthia Hood, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3918. Dennis Roberson, Co-Director, can be reached at 312.567.3032.Back to top

Service, Education, and Outreach Centers

The Center offers professional consulting services through the Department of Psychology within Lewis College of Human Sciences. The center supports its clients through research-based solutions that improve individual, team, and organizational performance. George M. Langlois, Director, can be reached at 312.567.6471.Back to top

The Center can bring the many disciplines resident at the Illinois Institute of Technology together in a collaborative relationship with business corporations, other academic institutions, government agencies and members of the NGO community to identify, develop, communicate, and help implement practical and equitable business strategies that advance the ecological sustainability of the Greater Chicago Area, while fostering our current and future economic viability. M. Krishna Erramilli, Director, can be reached at 312.906.6543 or krish@stuart.iit.edu.Back to top

Energy/Environment/Economics (E3)

E3 is an academic program of research and coursework for students in engineering. The research program encompasses areas of specialization that relate to energy, sustainable development, industrial ecology and environmental design. Hamid Arastoopour, WISER Director, can be reached at 312.567.3038.Back to top

GPEL focuses on studies related to electric power generation transmission, distribution, operation and controls. GPEL houses several graduate and undergraduate laboratories. Annual research support of more than $400,000 is provided by federal and private agencies. S. Mohammad Shahidehpour, Director, can be reached at 312.567.5737.Back to top

The Institute for Science, Law & Technology provides a forum to produce and disseminate knowledge on the social and legal implications of emerging technologies. As part of its mission, the institute sponsors long-term, multi-disciplinary research, public conferences, judicial training, symposia for journalists, and other programs. Public programming, scholarship and research and student educational opportunities in the Institute focus on biotechnology, genetics, nanotechnology, diabetes policy, environmental science, social networks, and intellectual property. In addition, institute staff and faculty draft laws and regulations and develop other programs that guide public policy decisions. Lori Andrews, Director, can be reached at 312.906.5359 or landrews@kentlaw.iit.edu.Back to top

The Center helps students and faculty develop a studio approach to engineering. The center�s philosophy is project-oriented, creativity-driven and encompasses all the stages of invention, including idea generation and development. prototype development and proofof- concept, the patent process and commercialization. Francisco Ruiz, Director, can be reached at 312.567.3212.Back to top

The Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer supports all IIT efforts to build and sustain relationships with corporations and other external organizations. The office coordinates the process of identifying, evaluating, protecting, marketing, and licensing all IIT inventions and copyrightable material. Robert Anderson, Director of Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property, can be reached at 312.567.3462.Back to top